“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
The water baptism performed by John the Baptist was just the beginning for a Jesus follower. John said Jesus is mightier than me and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Most believers are baptized with water at some time in their life. This baptism is for the cleansing of all sin in an individual through repentance. There is no deep work of God in this baptism. If you accepted Jesus as as part of this baptism then you are a new creature in Christ and the transformation from your past to the new begins.
Jesus has to get to the deep roots of sin in your personality. Many of these sins are below your consciousness.
Jesus is omniscient and sees all the compulsive behaviors, genetic dispositions, and moral depravity in a human being.
This is why John the Baptist said Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The Holy Spirit will search your inner nature and identify all your imperfections. Then Jesus will disintegrate the sin with holy fire. This baptism will not exclude all sin but it will make you acceptable to God.
We are all born with a personality that wants to satisfy self and defy God. This condition will never entirely leave you here on earth.
This is why it is so important to be one with Jesus. He will convict you and point out where you need to change.
It is impossible to be perfect with God. Don’t even try. Just worship Jesus in Spirit and Truth and be open to His correction.
Jesus desires for you to walk by faith and be obedient to His voice. This is why Abraham was credited with the righteousness of God. He obeyed God.
We can never impress Jesus with our holiness but we can get His respect and love by walking in obedience to His instructions.
Hal Hollister Ministry 